Rose's roses
by rattan
Summary: It's Valentines Day, but the only woman that the Doctor can see is Rose. Martha can feel the pain she suffers from his neglect strongly, but who is the one truly suffering here? It turns out that she isn't the only one feeling alone on Valentines Day.


_AN: I know I know, I haven't uploaded on this account in **FOREVER**. It wasn't because I didn't want to, but my computer wasn't letting me upload for some reason or another, and I had so much schoolwork that I didn't have time to update. So, when fanfiction started to work again on my computer, this idea just popped into my head and I wrote it out. I'm not actually a huge fan of Martha, or especially Martha/Doctor, but I feel exceptionally bad for her because she loves the Doctor and he only has eyes for Rose. This is my first Doctor Who fic, so it might not be that great, but I hope you enjoy!_

Martha sighed, her eyes wandering along the dips and curves of the TARDIS walls. Without the engines running, the entire thing seemed so much more empty, so much more large than usual.  
They, her and the Doctor, had parked in modern-day London, 2007. The Doctor hadn't really given a specific reason for landing, just saying that he needed to run some "errands", and that she could go and visit her family. They'd meet back at the TARDIS in an hour or so, he said.  
And so they set off. But it turned out that her mother wasn't in town, and neither were her siblings. As for her father, she never had any idea where he was. All apartments were empty, it appeared as though they had taken a family vacation without her. It was a struggle not to feel that pang in her chest, that anger inside. Her family seemed to be getting on just right without her.  
Martha sighed again, hitting her fist onto the metal railing as she slumped in her chair. She had seen the date as she was walking back to the TARDIS: February 14th. It was Valentines day, and she was all alone. Normally she'd be out right now with her mates, going shopping, and pointing out the cute boys at the mall. She hadn't even thought to check if any of them were in town. Martha shut her eyes, biting her lip. They probably were out now, without her.  
The door banged open, sending Martha up with a jolt. She looked in the general direction that the sound had come from, and saw the Doctor stumbling in. He looked up at her. " What're you doing here?" he exclaimed.  
Martha shrugged. " No ones home," she responded.  
" Ah," said the Doctor, looking away. " Can you help me with something?"  
Wordlessly, Martha came down, approaching the open door. Three garbage bags, filled with some kind of matter, stood in the doorway. Martha bent down to pick one up as the Doctor scrambled to get a hold of another one. " Be careful with these now," he cautioned. Martha nodded, picking one of them up. It was surprisingly light, and she had no trouble carrying it until she felt a sharp prick in her arm.  
" Ouch!" She dropped the bag in surprise, and it split. Roses poured out of it, each and every one of them a deep scarlet red. Martha turned to the Doctor, who was just setting down the last bag. He looked up at her, and then looked at the floor.  
His face fell. " Ah no! What did'ja have to go dropping them for?" He dropped to his hands and knees, scooping the roses into a small pile.  
Her face heating, Martha turned away. He had gotten her roses? They hadn't known each other for all that long, but it was undeniably sweet. Martha looked back at the Doctor, heart beating faster. " Doctor, thank-"  
" They're for Rose."  
Martha felt like she had gotten a bucket of ice water dumped on her. " What?"  
" They're for Rose," he repeated. " It's Valentines Day, ya know?" The Doctor scanned the TARDIS. " Do we have any extra bags?"  
Martha's heart rate slowed down, and some of the anger from earlier returned. She knew that this was a sensitive topic for the Doctor, but was she really about to be upstaged by some girl who didn't even exist in this universe?!  
" I don't understand Doctor," she said. Her voice came out weaker than she wanted it to. It sounded squeaky and pathetic. " She doesn't live in this universe. Why're you getting her flowers?"  
The Doctor, who had been bustling around one moment before, froze, his hands resting on the railing of the TARDIS. " Cause..." he mumbled.  
Rage filled her eyes. " Because of what Doctor?!" she shouted.  
"BECAUSE I RECKON I LOVE HER MARTHA!" he screamed back.  
The air around them suddenly became very still and silent. The Doctor made to move towards her, but he stumbled, falling to the floor. " Doctor!" Martha yelped, all prior emotions dissipating. She ran to him, dropping to his side where he kneeled. He took no notice of her instead staring at his hands folded in his lap.  
" I never got to tell her how much I lover her," he whispered. His hands clenched. " She said it, she told me she loved me, and I couldn't, I couldn't-" Martha noticed that his breathing quickened, becoming more ragged and pained with every breath.  
"-I couldn't respond. I'M A COWARD!" he screeched, the sudden outburst of sound making her jump slightly. He turned to her and his face crumpled, tears spilling out of his eyes as he began to hyperventilate. " I-I'm s-such a c-c-c-coward Martha..."  
Martha stared at him, eyes wide. " Oh Doctor..." She held out her arms and he collapsed into them, his hands clawing at her back. Martha rested her chin in his hair, inhaling his scent as she rubbed slow circles into his heaving back. " Doctor, don't you cry now, you are the bravest man I know, and probably the bravest man I ever will know. You are not a coward by any standards!" she whispered passionately. He gave out a half sob, half whimper, and she pulled his shaking form closer to her.  
They sat like that for a while, and the Doctor soon grew still in her arms, but he didn't let go for a stretch of time. And when he did, when he looked her eyes, Martha felt like he was actually looking at her for once, not searching for the face of someone else. " Thank you Martha," was all he said, face blank. He then proceeded to spring up to his feet and resume his prior activities.  
Martha got to her feet, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth in spite of herself. "Where are you going to put all of these?" There had to be at least 100 of the flowers.  
" Oh, every single place we travelled to, ya know? One rose for each location. So we'll be going to New New York, Raxacoricofallapatorius, the end of Earth, the 2012 London Olympics, did I mention that this includes the places I went to with her in my last form too, yeah?"  
Martha couldn't help herself, she giggled. For some reason she felt obscenely happy now, like an immense weight had been lifted from her shoulders. " We can go wherever you need, Doctor!" she laughed, catching her breath.  
For the first time since she had met him, a smile broke out across his face, a real, genuine smile that went all the way up to his eyes. He then snapped his fingers. " Oh! That reminds me!" he shouted, running back outside of the TARDIS. Martha took a few tentative steps forward, hearing grunting sounds coming from outside. Moments later, the Doctor staggered in, underneath the weight of what appeared to be a massive lump of foil. Martha took a moment to observe it, confused, and then she realized that it was a giant Hershey kiss, the size of a small dog.  
The Doctor dropped it onto a chair, beaming at her. " I assumed you like chocolate...see! It's a kiss, from me to you!" His smile softened, and he walked to her, enveloping her in his arms for a brief, warm hug.  
" Happy Valentines Day Martha."


End file.
